(OCOF) No. 129 Country Name: Kiribati TABLE 1: Monthly Rainfall

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

(OCOF) No. 129 Country Name: Kiribati TABLE 1: Monthly Rainfall Pacific Islands - Online Climate Outlook Forum (OCOF) No. 129 Country Name: Kiribati TABLE 1: Monthly Rainfall Station (include data period) May 2018 March April Total 33%tile 67%tile Median Ranking 2018 2018 Rainfall Rainfall Rainfall (mm) Total Total (mm) (mm) Beru 44.8 5.3 14.9 38.8 96.5 64.0 10/65 Butaritari 28.7 136.9 - 218.7 328.0 302.5 - Kanton 64.6 113.2 - 49.0 94.8 64.5 - Kiritimati 5.7 - 44.3 37.8 106.4 63.3 37/94 Tarawa 7.1 29.2 42.1 93.7 170.6 141.2 9/69 TABLE 2: Three-monthly Rainfall March to May 2018 [Please note that the data used in this verification should be sourced from table 3 of OCOF #125] Station Three- 33%tile 67%tile Median Ranking Forecast probs.* Verification* month Total Rainfall Rainfall Rainfall (include LEPS) (Consistent, Near- (mm) (mm) (mm) consistent Inconsistent)? Beru 65.0 158.0 381.0 264.0 10/62 48/42/10 (23.2) Consistent Butaritari - 779.0 1096.7 942.0 - 45/32/23 (9.2) - Kanton - 128.6 231.5 167.7 - 40/45/15 (11.7) - Kiritimati - 288.7 410.3 324.7 - 43/40/17 (15.1) - Tarawa 78.4 334.8 656.2 503.2 3/69 47/32/21 (12.7) Consistent Period:*below normal/normal/above normal Predictors and Period used for March to May 2018 Outlooks (refer to OCOF #125): NINO 3.4 SST Anomalies (2mths: December 2017-January 2018) *Forecast is consistent when observed and predicted (tercile with the highest probability) categories coincide (are in the same tercile). Forecast is near-consistent when observed and predicted (tercile with the highest probability) differ by only one category (i.e. terciles 1 and 2 or terciles 2 and 3). Forecast is inconsistent when observed and predicted (tercile with the highest probability) differ by two categories (i.e. terciles 1 and 3). TABLE 3: Seasonal Climate Outlooks using SCOPIC for July to September 2018 Predictors and Period used: NINO 3.4 SST Anomalies (2months: April- May 2018) Below Median Above Station Median Rainfall Median LEPS Hit-rate (prob) (mm) (prob) Beru 53 176.5 47 16.4 62.3 Butaritari 53 561.0 47 8.3 68.3 Kanton 52 180.8 48 1.2 64.0 Kiritimati 50 71.8 50 -1.5 33.8 Tarawa 55 336.2 45 21.9 72.1 Below 33%ile 67%ile Above Normal Station Normal rainfall rainfall Normal LEPS Hit-rate (prob) (prob) (mm) (mm) (prob) Beru 34 130.7 40 261.6 26 20.1 52.8 Butaritari 34 500.0 36 734.0 30 8.6 50.8 Kanton 35 153.5 35 227.3 30 5.9 46.0 Kiritimati 34 42.4 34 101.7 32 0.2 32.4 Tarawa 37 195.8 39 543.6 24 19.3 48.5 TABLE 4: Seasonal Climate Outlooks using POAMA2 for July to September 2018 Lower 33%ile Middle 67%ile Upper Station Tercile rainfall Tercile rainfall Tercile (prob) (mm) (prob) (mm) (prob) Tarawa 64 270 30 636 6 Tabuaeran 79 83 16 317 5 Kiritimati 9 75 79 131 12 Kanton 12 111 76 226 12 Butaritari 76 464 18 730 6 Arorae 39 191 56 574 5 Summary Statements Rainfall for May 2018: Beru and Tarawa recorded below-normal rainfall for the month of May 2018 while Kiritimati recorded normal rainfall for the same month. Accumulated rainfall for March to May 2018, including outlook verification: Beru and Tarawa both recorded below-normal rainfall from March to May 2018 accumulated totals. Outlook Verification is consistent for the two stations. Tarawa ranks the 3rd driest month for March to May 2018 for the 69 years of record. Outlooks for July to September 2018: 1. SCOPIC: At Beru, the outlook shows normal as the most likely outcome, with below-normal the next most likely. Above normal is the least likely. The outlook for Tarawa shows a near-equal likelihood of normal and below-normal rainfall. Above normal is the least likely. The outlook offers little guidance as the chances of above-normal, normal and below- normal are similar for Butaritari, Kanton and Kiritimati. Skills in the outlook is low in Kiritimati, Moderate in Kanton and Butaritari, and high in Tarawa and Beru. 2. POAMA: Tarawa, Tabuaeran and Butaritari favour below-normal rainfall while Kiritimati, Kanton and Arorae favour normal rainfall. NB: The X LEPS % score has been categorised as follows: Very Low: X < 0.0 Low: 0 ≤ X < 5 Moderate 5 ≤ X < 10 Good: 10 ≤ X < 15 High: 15≤ X < 25 Very High: 25 ≤X < 35 Exceptional: X ≥ 35 .
Recommended publications
  • Hard Custom, Hard Dance : Social Organisation, (Un)
    PETRA M. AUTIO HARD CUSTOM, HARD DANCE SOCIAL ORGANISATION, (UN)DIFFERENTIATION AND NOTIONS OF POWER IN A TABITEUEAN COMMUNITY, SOUTHERN KIRIBATI Academic Dissertation to be publicly discussed, by due permission of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki, in Auditorium XII of the Main Building, April 17th, 2010, at 10 a.m. PETRA M. AUTIO HARD CUSTOM, HARD DANCE SOCIAL ORGANISATION, (UN)DIFFERENTIATION AND NOTIONS OF POWER IN A TABITEUEAN COMMUNITY, SOUTHERN KIRIBATI Research Series in Anthropology University of Helsinki Academic Dissertation Research Series in Anthropology University of Helsinki, Finland Distributed by Helsinki University Press P.O. Box 4 (Vuorikatu 3 A) 00014 University of Helsinki Finland fax +358-9-7010 2374 http://www.yliopistopaino.fi ISSN 1458-3186 ISBN 978-952-10-6150-9 (paperback) ISBN 978-952-10-6151-6 (PDF) Helsinki University Print Helsinki 2010 To my daughter Oili Raakel Maria CONTENTS List of illustrations vii Notes on names, citations and typographical conventions viii Acknowledgements ix 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Social Differentiation, Undifferentiation and Power in Southern Kiribati 3 Kiribati Introduced 11 The Kiribati Custom 15 Tabiteuea and Its Northern District 17 Tabiteuean Custom and Its Hardness 19 Kiribati Studied 21 Fieldwork and Research Questions 27 The Approach and Course of Chapters 29 2. THE ANCESTOR WITHOUT DESCENDANTS: DIFFERENTIATION AND NOTIONS OF POWER IN TABITEUEA 33 Chiefs Are Forbidden? Myth, history, concept 33 Story of the Story 36 The Story of Kourabi (Karakin Kourabi) 42 Lines of power: The Karongoa clan 46 The apical ancestor: Tematawarebwe the first-born 50 Children of many fathers 52 The twofold ancestor: Akau the younger brother 53 Karongoa clan and power 56 Dualities and Transformation of Power 58 Power in the (Un)making 62 Making men, making chiefs 64 Making women 68 Binding but Not Unbinding: Remaining tabu 76 Power in his things 77 Power in the bones 80 Summary: Differentiation and its cut-off point 83 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Pacific Islands - Online Climate Outlook Forum (OCOF) No
    Pacific Islands - Online Climate Outlook Forum (OCOF) No. 91 Country Name: KIRIBATI TABLE 1: Monthly Rainfall Station (include data period) March 2015 January February Total 33%tile 67%tile Median Ranking 2015 2015 Rainfall Rainfall Rainfall (mm) Total Total (mm) (mm) Beru - - - 20.0 136.0 55.3 - (Jul1932-Nov 2014) Butaritari - - 429.1 189.0 402.0 281.5 55/77 (Jul 1931 -Mar 2015) Kanton - - - 19.6 57.4 27.2 - (Sep 1937 -Jun 2014) Kiritimati - 35.9 76.3 76.6 139.8 106.1 30/90 (Jan 1921-Mar 2015) Tarawa 229.4 287.1 434.2 113.1 262.7 171.0 60/66 (Jan 1950-Mar 2015) TABLE 2: Three-monthly Rainfall January 2015 to March 2015 [Please note that the data used in this verification should be sourced from table 3 of OCOF #87] Station Three-month 33%tile 67%tile Median Ranking Forecast probs.* Verification * Total Rainfall Rainfall Rainfall (include LEPS) (Consistent, (mm) (mm) (mm) Near-consistent Inconsistent? Beru - 143.1 493.0 280.6 - 8/39/ 53 - (33.3) Butaritari - 723.0 1119.0 902.7 - 20/35/ 45 - (14.8) Kanton - 40.7 171.2 110.8 - 17/24/ 59 - (30.8) Kiritimati - 160.1 297.9 221.6 - 18/29/ 53 - (31.6) Tarawa 950.7 348.3 923.5 647.9 46/66 14/38/ 48 Consistent (25.6) Period:* below normal /normal /above normal * Forecast is consistent when observed and predicted (tercile with the highest probability) categories coincide (are in the same tercile). Forecast is near-consistent when observed and predicted (tercile with the highest probability) differ by only one category (i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • Kiribati Fourth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity
    KIRIBATI FOURTH NATIONAL REPORT TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY Aranuka Island (Gilbert Group) Picture by: Raitiata Cati Prepared by: Environment and Conservation Division - MELAD 20 th September 2010 1 Contents Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................................................... 4 Acronyms ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1: OVERVIEW OF BIODIVERSITY, STATUS, TRENDS AND THREATS .................................................... 8 1.1 Geography and geological setting of Kiribati ......................................................................................... 8 1.2 Climate ................................................................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Status of Biodiversity ........................................................................................................................... 10 1.3.1 Soil ................................................................................................................................................. 12 1.3.2 Water Resources ..........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Kiribati 2005 Census Data And, Where Possible, It Presents Comparisons with the 2000 and Earlier Census Data
    Kiribati 2005 Census Volume 2: Analytical Report January 2007 CONTENTS page Foreword vii Acknowledgement viii Summary of main indicators ix Executive summary xi 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 POPULATION TREND, COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE 2 2.1 Population trend 2 2.2 Population composition 5 2.3 Population structure 6 3 DEMOGRAPHIC COMPONENTS 12 3.1 Fertility 12 3.2 Mortality 19 3.3 Migration 26 3.3.1 Internal migration 26 3.3.2 International migration 30 4 SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS 33 4.1 Marital status 33 4.2 Religion 36 4.3 Health 37 4.3.1 Smoking tobacco 37 4.3.2 Drinking alcohol 38 4.4 Educational characteristics 40 4.4.1 School enrolment 40 4.4.2 Educational attainment 40 4.4.3 Educational qualification 42 4.5 Labor market activity 43 4.5.1 Introduction 43 4.5.2 Employed - cash workers and village workers 44 4.5.3 Labour force participation rate and Employment-population ratio 4.5.4 Employed cash workers by work status 4.5.5 Employed cash workers by industry group 46 4.5.6 Employed cash workers by occupational group 46 4.5.7 Unemployed 47 4.5.8 Not in the labor force 48 5 HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS 50 5.1 Household size 50 5.2 Household composition 53 5.3 Household amenities and appliances 54 5.3.1 Private households by main source of drinking water, Kiribati, 2005 54 5.3.2 Private households by type of toilet facility used, Kiribati, 2005 54 5.3.3 Private households by source of lighting, Kiribati, 2005 54 5.3.4 Private households and availability of capital goods, Kiribati, 2005 58 i CONTENTS (continue) page 6 POPULATION PROJECTIONS 59 6.1 Projection
    [Show full text]
  • (OCOF) No. 124 Country Name: Kiribati TABLE 1: Monthly Rainfall
    Pacific Islands - Online Climate Outlook Forum (OCOF) No. 124 Country Name: Kiribati TABLE 1: Monthly Rainfall Station (include data period) December 2017 October November Total 33%tile 67%tile Median Ranking 2017 2017 Rainfall Rainfall Rainfall (mm) Total Total (mm) (mm) Beru 14.7 - - 61.0 182.0 110.8 - Butaritari 97.6 141.6 162.5 172.7 307.0 251.5 26/80 Kanton 16.9 0.9 3.7 4.2 39.9 17.8 19/60 Kiritimati 5.0 3.2 6.4 4.3 45.1 13.6 32/84 Tarawa 28.1 128.6 145.4 104.7 258.9 174.0 31/68 TABLE 2: Three-monthly Rainfall October to December 2017 [Please note that the data used in this verification should be sourced from table 3 of OCOF #120] Station Three-month 33%tile 67%tile Median Ranking Forecast probs.* Verification* Total Rainfall Rainfall Rainfall (include LEPS) (Consistent, Near- (mm) (mm) (mm) consistent Inconsistent)? Beru - 117.0 326.0 214.0 - 12/67/21 (61.1) - Butaritari 401.7 483.1 722.0 552.8 20/78 27/45/28 (37.1) Near-consistent Kanton 21.5 29.7 88.4 41.9 15/58 34/52/14 (45.3) Near-consistent Kiritimati 14.6 24.2 71.0 46.7 19/77 32/49/19 (38.9) Near-consistent Tarawa 302.1 250.3 554.4 329.3 30/68 18/68/14 (59.6) Consistent Period:*below normal/normal/above normal Predictors and Period used for October to December 2017 Outlooks (refer to OCOF #120): NINO 3.4 (2months July-August 2017) *Forecast is consistent when observed and predicted (tercile with the highest probability) categories coincide (are in the same tercile).
    [Show full text]
  • Kiribati 2010 Census Volume 2: Analytical Report
    KIRIBATI 2010 CENSUS Volume 2: Analytical Report KIRIBATI 2010 CENSUS Volume 2: Analytical Report Kiribati National Statistics Office and the SPC Statistics for Development Programme, Noumea, New Caledonia, 2012 © Copyright Secretariat of the Pacific Community 2012 All rights for commercial / for profit reproduction or translation, in any form, reserved. SPC authorises the partial reproduction or translation of this material for scientific, educational or research purposes, provided that SPC and the source document are properly acknowledged. Permission to reproduce the document and/or translate in whole, in any form, whether for commercial / for profit or non-profit purposes, must be requested in writing. Original SPC artwork may not be altered or separately published without permission. Original text: English Secretariat of the Pacific Community Cataloguing-in-publication data Secretariat of the Pacific Community Cataloguing-in-publication data Kiribati 2010 census. Volume 2, Analytical report / Kiribati National Statistics Office and the SPC Statistics for Development Programme 1. Kiribati – Census, 2010 2. Kiribati – Population – Statistics 3. Kiribati – Statistics, Vital I. Title. II. Kiribati. National Statistics Office. III. Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Statistics for Development Programme 319.681 AACR2 ISBN: 978-982-00-0567-9 Secretariat of the Pacific Community BP D5, 98848 Noumea Cedex New Caledonia Telephone: +687 26 20 00 Facsimile: +687 26 38 18 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.spc.int/ Cover photos: Chris Palethorpe
    [Show full text]
  • Kiribati Water Governance
    Pacific Programme for Water Governance KIRIBATI WATER GOVERNANCE Milestone Report 2: Activities 3 and 4 Ian White Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies College of Science Australian National University June 2006 2 Acknowledgements This discussion paper was developed under the EU Pacific Water Governance Project, coordinated by SOPAC. It was written by Ian White, Australian National University in collaboration with: Eita Metai Acting Director, Public Works Department, Ministry of Public Works & Utilities Taboia Metutera Manager Water and Sewerage, Public Utilities Board, Ministry of Public Works & Utilities Pamela Messervy WHO Country Liaison Officer Kiribati Tianuare Taeuea Director, Environmental Health Unit, Ministry of Health & Medical Services Tererei Abete-Reema Director, Environment & Conservation Division, Ministry of Environment Lands and Agricultural Development Ross Allen Technical Adviser to the Strategic National Policy and Risk Assessment Unit, Office of the President Manikaoti Timeon Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Internal & Social Affairs Roko Timeon Coordinator, KANGO, The Kiribati Association of non-government organisations (NGO) in Kiribati Helen Jeans Past Technical Adviser, EU Commission Technical Office, Kiribati Tony Falkland Ecowise Environmental, Canberra, Australia 3 Republic of Kiribati showing all 33 islands in the Gilbert (western), Phoenix (central) and Line (eastern) Groups. The country spans over 3,500 km of the Central Pacific. 4 Table of Contents Acknowledgements............................................................................................................2
    [Show full text]
  • Research Article Ecosystem-Scale Effects of Nutrients and Fishing on Coral Reefs
    Hindawi Publishing Corporation Journal of Marine Biology Volume 2011, Article ID 187248, 13 pages doi:10.1155/2011/187248 Research Article Ecosystem-Scale Effects of Nutrients and Fishing on Coral Reefs Sheila M. Walsh1, 2 1 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA 2 Environmental Change Initiative, Brown University, Box 1951- 167 Thayer Street, 214 MacMillan Hall, Providence, RI 02912, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Sheila M. Walsh, sheila [email protected] Received 18 July 2010; Accepted 21 October 2010 Academic Editor: Kim Selkoe Copyright © 2011 Sheila M. Walsh. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Nutrient pollution and fishing are the primary local causes of coral reef decline but their ecosystem-scale effects are poorly understood. Results from small-scale manipulative experiments of herbivores and nutrients suggest prioritizing management of fishing over nutrient pollution because herbivores can control macroalgae and turf in the presence of nutrients. However, ecological theory suggests that the opposite occurs at large scales. Moreover, it is unclear whether fishing decreases herbivores because fishing of predators may result in an increase in herbivores. To investigate this paradox, data on the fish and benthic communities, fishing, and nutrients were collected on Kiritimati, Kiribati. Oceanographic conditions and a population resettlement program created a natural experiment to compare sites with different levels of fishing and nutrients. Contrary to theory, herbivores controlled macroalgae in the presence of nutrients at large spatial scales, and herbivores had greater effects on macroalgae when nutrients were higher.
    [Show full text]
  • Women Producers in the Economy of Kiribati and Their Participation In
    UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT Women producers of Kiribati and their participation in inter-island and international trade [email protected] http://unctad.org/gender UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT Women producers of Kiribati and their participation in inter-island and international trade Geneva, 2020 © 2020, United Nations The work is available open access by complying with the Creative Commons licence created for intergovernmental organizations, available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States. The designation employed and the presentation of material on any map in this work do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Mention of any firm or licensed process does not imply the endorsement of the United Nations. References to country names in this publication correspond to the names in use historically during the periods for which data were reviewed. Photocopies and reproductions of excerpts are allowed with proper credits. This publication has been edited externally. United Nations publication issued by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. UNCTAD/DITC/2020/4 eISBN: 978-92-1-005559-8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was prepared by the Trade, Gender and Development Programme at UNCTAD. Inputs were provided by Tuiai Tabai.
    [Show full text]
  • Publications
    PUBLICATIONS Paleoceanography RESEARCH ARTICLE Equatorial Pacific coral geochemical records show 10.1002/2014PA002683 recent weakening of the Walker Circulation Key Points: Jessica E. Carilli1,2, Helen V. McGregor3, Jessica J. Gaudry4, Simon D. Donner5, Michael K. Gagan3, fi • A Paci c coral records slight ocean 6 1 1 warming, no salinity change from Samantha Stevenson , Henri Wong , and David Fink 1959 to 2010 1 • Cross-Pacific coral records support Institute for Environmental Research, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, Lucas Heights, New South 2 recent Walker Circulation weakening Wales, Australia, Now at School of the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, • Decadal-scale variability dominates 3Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 4School fi central Paci c SST and salinity of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, 5Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 6Department of Oceanography, University Supporting Information: of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA • Readme • Figure S1 • Figure S2 Abstract Equatorial Pacific ocean-atmosphere interactions affect climate globally, and a key component • Figure S3 • Table S1 of the coupled system is the Walker Circulation, which is driven by sea surface temperature (SST) gradients • Table S2 across the equatorial Pacific. There is conflicting evidence as to whether the SST gradient and Walker • Text S1 Circulation have strengthened or weakened over the late twentieth century. We present new records of SST and sea surface salinity (SSS) spanning 1959–2010 based on paired measurements of Sr/Ca and δ18O in a Correspondence to: J.
    [Show full text]
  • Reply to Comment by Karnauskas Et Al. on "Equatorial Pacific Coral Geochemical Records Show Recent Weakening of the Walker Circulation"
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health 1-1-2015 Reply to comment by Karnauskas et al. on "Equatorial Pacific coral geochemical records show recent weakening of the Walker circulation" Jessica E. Carilli University of Massachusetts Boston Helen V. McGregor Australian National University, [email protected] Jessica J. Gaudry University of Wollongong, [email protected] Simon D. Donner University of British Columbia Michael K. Gagan Australian National University See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers Part of the Medicine and Health Sciences Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Carilli, Jessica E.; McGregor, Helen V.; Gaudry, Jessica J.; Donner, Simon D.; Gagan, Michael K.; Stevenson, Samantha; Wong, Henri; and Fink, David, "Reply to comment by Karnauskas et al. on "Equatorial Pacific coral geochemical records show recent weakening of the Walker circulation"" (2015). Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A. 3139. https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/3139 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Reply to comment by Karnauskas et al. on "Equatorial Pacific coral geochemical records show recent weakening of the Walker circulation" Abstract In our paper describing a new coral record from Butaritari, we hypothesized that comparing the temporal trends in our records to coral records from farther east in the equatorial Pacific may support the evidence for a weakening of a Walker circulation, documented elsewhere in the literature [Power and Smith, 2007; Tokinaga et al., 2012].
    [Show full text]
  • Atoll Research Bulletin No- 287 Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Northern Line Islands Issued by the Smithsonian Institut
    ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN NO- 287 CHECKLIST OF THE VASCULAR PLANTS OF THE NORTHERN LINE ISLANDS ISSUEDBY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION WASHINGTON, D. C., U4.A- CHECKLIST OF THE VASCULAR PLANTS OF THE NORTHERN LINE ISLANDS INTRODUCTION The Northern Line Islands consists of four atolls aligned on an an axis which runs from south east to north west. The three southern islands Christmas (Kiritimati), Fanning (Tabuaeran) and Washington (Teraina) have permanent populations and are part of the Republic of Kiribati w able 1). The fourth island, Palmyra, on the north end of the chain, is an unoccupied U.S. possession. Table 1 Northern Line Islands Land area Rainf a11 Population Political (sq. kms. ) (millimeters) jurisdiction Palmyra 0.6 416 1 0 U.S. Washington 14.2 2902 417 Kiribati Fanning 34.6 2086 434 Kiribati Christmas 363.4 7 66 1288 Kiribati Sources: Carter, 1984; Ministry of Education, Training and Culture, 1979; Taylor, 1973. The islands are remarkably dissimilar considering their proximity. This is in part due to the fact that they lie across an abrupt rainfall gradient. Christmas in the south, in the equatorial dry belt, receives only 766 mm of rain per year, whereas the islands further riorth are influenced by the intertropical convergence to a progressively * Department of Geography, University of Hawaii greater extent. Palmyra, four degrees of latitude north, receives 4161 millimeters per year and supports a luxuriant forest. The islands are a1.m quite different in form. Christmas is a very large atoll; most of the land is one continuous surface which almost completely encircles an embayment or lagoon and there is a large protruding peninsula off to the southeast.
    [Show full text]